Indicative score:

3 - Evidence shows a good standard

What people expect:

“I can get information and advice about my health, care and support and how I can be as well as possible – physically, mentally and emotionally.”

“I am supported to plan ahead for important changes in my life that I can anticipate.”

The local authority commitment:

We support people to manage their health and wellbeing so they can maximise their independence, choice and control, live healthier lives and where possible, reduce future needs for care and support.

Key findings for this quality statement

The Adult Social Care Strategy focused on a preventative approach, based around promoting people’s independence and support in the community. Through this approach 93% of people who had received short-term care and support no longer required support – this was above the national average and demonstrated the focus on support to enable people to maintain independence to prevent or delay long-term needs for care. Both health and voluntary sector partners understood the approach, and there was an integrated health and care strategy, ‘Community First’. There was a sense that everyone was working to the same goals. This approach was well understood from leaders through to frontline workers.

Community hubs delivered the approach with effective use of the voluntary sector. For example, the local authority funded a social prescribing project with the voluntary sector to prevent or delay the need for care. Interventions were delivered as part of a ‘making every contact count’ approach, bringing information, advice, and guidance alongside community facilities such as libraries and leisure centres into one location. This meant if people made contact at a hub with a query for advice and support, they could also be connected to other services and activities that they may not have been aware of, with the aim of improving health and wellbeing.

The local authority’s online resource, ‘Livewell’, was a directory of local services and support within communities, which was being co-produced with community groups. There was still work to do to develop this resource, but it aimed to help people identify sources of support and activities within their local communities.

Public health data was used to identify issues in particular communities and target activities to address them. Community workers worked with people’s physical and mental wellbeing. For example, encouraging people through behaviour change to become more active and address issues such as obesity or smoking cessation. There was a wider focus than just public health targets, the hubs used 5 ways to wellbeing principles, beginning with supporting people to be more connected including through arts and heritage activities.

Community enablers worked within and beyond the hubs, to help people be more connected in their community. They worked closely with community groups, looking at the strengths within communities and connecting communities where there were gaps. We had feedback from carers who said they had been able to access a range of community groups and activities that kept them connected and gave them a break from their caring role. The local authority had identified further work that was needed to improve the offer for young adults in moving them towards independence and employment.

The local authority recognised housing was a key issue in addressing wellbeing and had restructured to make the supported housing and homelessness function part of Adult Social Care. Both staff and partners gave positive feedback about this, describing how it has resulted in much better outcomes for people experiencing mental health difficulties, substance misuse, ex-offenders, or domestic abuse, preventing future need for adult social care support in these vulnerable populations.